Home Health, Elder Care Lead Jobs Growth

9/26/2013

Meg LaPorte

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Home health care and “services for the elderly and persons with disabilities” were among the four fastest-growing health care sectors since 2012, according to new report from Chicago-based CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI).

Each has added at least 45,000 jobs nationwide in the past year.

Health care is the nation’s largest private-sector industry sector, accounting for 13 percent of the total U.S. workforce, adding more new jobs than any other industry since the start of 2012—at an estimated 365,000—the report found.

Occupations related to bedside or home care have had the biggest growth spurt, including: registered nurses (50,798 new jobs), home health aides (49,530), nurse assistants (13,097), and medical assistants (11,275).

Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses (10,682) have also performed well, the report says.

“The health care sector makes up at least 15 percent of the total workforce in nine states and 20 of the most populous metros,” said Jason Lovelace, president of CareerBuilder Health Care, in a press release on Thursday.

Lovelace noted health care as a major source of employment across markets “that is expected to grow significantly over the next five to 10 years.”

States with the highest share of health care jobs are: Rhode Island (16.5 percent), West Virginia (16.0 percent), and Maine (15.6 percent). All three states have larger-than-average concentrations of residents 60 years or older, the report notes.

In six other states, health care accounts for 15 percent or more of all jobs: Pennsylvania (15.7 percent), New York (15.6 percent), Massachusetts (15.3 percent), Minnesota (15.2 percent), Vermont (15.1 percent), and Connecticut (15.1 percent).

Other state findings from the report: Washington, D.C., has the lowest share of health care jobs in the U.S. (8.4 percent) but by far the most health care jobs per capita (1,030 per 10,000 residents). In addition, Nevada has the second-lowest number of health care jobs (8.8 percent) but has the fastest-growing health care workforce among all states at 4 percent since 2012.

The analysis is based on EMSI’s comprehensive labor market data, a compilation of more than 90 federal and state labor market sources that tracks traditional employees and self-employed workers.